Book description
During these tough economic times, more people are relying on libraries
than ever before, even as library funding is being slashed or eliminated
altogether. The hard truth is that many seasoned librarians are losing
their jobs, and many recent LIS graduates are having a hard time finding
one. Being unemployed is potentially devastating; without a clear,
well-thought out game plan and considerable attention to their own
personal well-being, those affected may find it difficult to recover. In
this ALA Editions Special Report, Woodward, a veteran librarian with
decades of experience, helps at-risk librarians Prepare for budget
crunches by showing them how to develop versatile skills and plan ahead
for potential changes in employment Educate themselves about which
library positions are being phased out and which will hold steady or
expand Adjust their career goals, repurpose their existing skills for
non-traditional librarianship, and even search for work in non-library
settings This Special Report provides the compassionate guidance and
pragmatic support that librarians will need to survive possible career
crises and reenter the job market with renewed confidence. Jeannette
Woodward is a principal of Wind River Library and Nonprofit Consulting.
After a career in academic library administration, she began a second
career in public libraries, serving as director of the Fremont County
Library System in the foothills of the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming.
Woodward is the author of several books, including What Every Librarian
Should Know about Electronic Privacy, Nonprofit Essentials: Managing
Technology, Creating the Customer-Driven Library: Building on the
Bookstore Model, and Countdown to a New Library: Managing the Building
Project. She holds a master's degree in library and information science
from Rutgers University, with doctoral study at the University of Texas
at Austin.
